Democrats Projected to Take Control of Both Houses of Congress; Trump Says He Is Ready to Work with Them

Dragon Media News Desk

Democratic candidates are projected to take control of both the US House of Representatives and the Senate after major gains in the November 3 midterm elections, according to early results reported by TASS.

All 435 seats in the House and 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats were contested. Gubernatorial elections were also held in 36 states. Final results were still pending in some races.

A projection by The New York Times, cited by TASS, gave Democrats 55 Senate seats and Republicans 45. It projected Democrats would win 254 House seats, compared with at least 172 for Republicans. At least 218 seats are needed for a majority in the House.

President Donald Trump said he was “a little bit surprised” by the Republican losses, adding that he had expected the party to perform better. He congratulated the Democrats and said he was prepared to work with them on issues including immigration. Trump also warned that he would veto legislation he opposed and said he did not plan to make changes to his Cabinet following the results.

Democrats also made gains in gubernatorial contests. In California, Democrat Xavier Becerra defeated Trump-backed Republican Steve Hilton, according to media projections. In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican incumbent Greg Abbott, marking a major shift in a state long dominated by Republicans.